Air New Zealand has announced it will return to Australia’s Sunshine Coast for a third consecutive season next year following the popularity of this year’s service, which ended in October. The 2014 season, which commences on June 27, 2014, will be extended by a week running through to October 26, 2014. The airline will operate two return flights a week from Auckland, increasing to three during peak periods – July 8-22 and September 23 to October 7.

Air New Zealand’s Group General Manager New Zealand and Pacific Islands Cam Wallace said the introduction of further capacity on the route demonstrates the anticipated growth between these two popular tourist destinations.

“Sunshine Coast has been a real success story. Since the inaugural service in 2012 we’ve grown capacity each year to the point where we will offer 75 per cent more seats in 2014 than we did when the service launched. Next year we’ll offer close to 13,000 seats between the two ports, compared with 7,500 seats during the inaugural 2012 season,” he said.

“Kiwis have embraced the opportunity to escape to the Sunshine Coast’s golden beaches over the winter months while Sunshine Coast travellers have welcomed the chance to reach New Zealand direct from their local Sunshine Coast Airport,” he added.

The Air New Zealand schedule is the only direct flight offering between New Zealand and Sunshine Coast and is operated using an Airbus A320. According to MIDT data, an estimated 9,000 bi-directional O&D passengers travelled between Auckland and Sunshine Coast in the 12 months until September 2013. Approximately 70 per cent of these flew on the direct service.